This book is the second in the new series Columbia Readings in Buddhist Literature (the first volume, Readings of the Lotus Sūtra, was published in 2009). Readings of the Platform Sūtra is intended to open up the original text to new readers and advance scholarship in the field. It is designed to be used in undergraduate courses and graduate teaching, and should also be of interest to scholars of Buddhism and Chinese religion. Each chapter, written by a senior scholar in the field, has been written with a clear focus and specific pedagogical concern. Contents include: 1. Introduction: The Platform Sūtra, Buddhism, and Chinese Religion, by Morten Schlütter. 2. The Figure of Huineng, by John Jorgensen 3. The History and Practice of Early Chan, by Henrik H. Sorensen 4. The Sudden Teaching, by Peter N. Gregory 5. Transmitting Notions of Transmission, by Wendi L. Adamek 6. Ordination and Precepts in the Platform Sūtra, by Paul Groner 7. The Platform Sūtra and Chinese Thought, by Brook Ziporyn The bibliography includes an annotated list of English translations of the Platform Sūtra.